Michael Dugher MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, responding to reports of Tory plans to end the ‘check-off’ system for trade union members, said:

“Labour first raised the Government’s attempts to end the ‘check-off’ system over three months ago in the House of Commons.

“We know that the Cabinet Office has written to every department at least twice asking them to review the use of ‘check-off’. This is clearly a politically motivated, counterproductive move that could waste millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

“Officials at the Department for Work and Pensions have estimated that the implementation costs of ending ‘check-off’ could exceed one million pounds.

“The Government should now come clean and publish the impact assessments and full financial implications of this misguided policy.”